Editing Flexography (section)

===Flexographic printing inks===
{{main|Flexographic ink}}
The nature and demands of the printing process and the application of the printed product determine the fundamental properties required of [[flexographic ink]]s. Measuring the physical properties of inks and understanding how these are affected by the choice of ingredients is a large part of ink technology. Formulation of inks requires a detailed knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of the raw materials composing the inks, and how these ingredients affect or react with each other as well as with the environment. Flexographic printing inks are primarily formulated to remain compatible with the wide variety of substrates used in the process. Each formulation component individually fulfills a special function and the proportion and composition will vary according to the substrate.

There are five types of inks that can be used in flexography:<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-57294024.html]{{dead link|date=June 2014}}</ref>
*solvent-based inks
*water-based inks
*electron beam (EB) curing inks
*ultraviolet (UV) curing inks
*two-part chemically-curing inks (usually based on [[polyurethane]] [[isocyanate]] reactions) - although these are uncommon at the moment

Water based flexo inks with [[particle size]]s below 5&nbsp;μm may cause problems when [[deinking]] recycled paper.